MUSIQUE DU VIET-NAM MUSIQUE PROTO INDOCHINOISE
interprétée par TRAN VAB KHE recueillie chez les Moïs des Hauts Plateaux
MAI THU et Mme MONG TRUNG mission FRANTZ LAFOREST
Grand Prix du Disque/Académie du BAM, LD 326
Disque Français
BAM, LD 365
These two 7'' vinyles were published by the French label ''la Boîte à Musique'' established in 1934 by Jacques Lévi Alvarès essentially to issue Jazz and Classical music. But there were also documents like these in their catalogue.
The first one ''Music from Vietnam'' is the work of Trân Van Khê (1921-2015) who was like Mister Vietnamese music in France where he settled in 1949. A musician and singer, a teacher and a writer he was a tireless propagator of his culture. He made several albums since the eighties. He plays here the dan-tranh, dan-co and dan-kim. Most of the tunes presented here were parts of his repertoire until the end.
I don't know the two other artists.
The first one ''Music from Vietnam'' is the work of Trân Van Khê (1921-2015) who was like Mister Vietnamese music in France where he settled in 1949. A musician and singer, a teacher and a writer he was a tireless propagator of his culture. He made several albums since the eighties. He plays here the dan-tranh, dan-co and dan-kim. Most of the tunes presented here were parts of his repertoire until the end.
I don't know the two other artists.
The second record is totally different and features field-recordings made in 1955 by Frantz Laforest, Louise Berthe and a small crew. Entitled ''Proto-Indochinese music'' it is a beautiful example of good field-recordings although all tracks are short enough. The Moïs are one of the first inhabitants in Central Vietnam near the Annamitic Cordillera. Moï is in fact a generic name which is rather pejorative for different people like the Jaraï , Banhar, Sedang etc... These people have different instruments like ''xylophone'', jew's harp and the amazing gong bands. The tracks are well introduced but in French only.
I suppose that these ''tribes'' were living a relatively peaceful life at the time of the recordings. Their environment was then certainly affected by the war and now by modern development in Vietnam in particular with the ongoing deforestation which reduces their living possibilities.
These two discs were reissued together by BAM under the title ''Musics of Vietnam''.
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